Tom May

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Freelance journalist and editor

Tom May is an award-winning journalist specialising in art, design, photography and technology. He is the author of the books The 50 Greatest Designers (Arcturus) and Great TED Talks: Creativity (Pavilion). Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.

Latest articles by Tom May

A split image showing a poster on a brick wall with red and white typography on the left, and a sampling of red uppercase and lowercase letters from the typeface on a dark brown background on the right.

This new typeface is perfect for a society that's done with shouting

By Tom May Published 4 July 26

How do you make a title shout when everyone is shouting too?

Fonts & Typography

Lego Secret Storage set showing a red megaphone, blue vinyl disc, notebook and red guitar arranged on a Malibu-branded case, with a minifigure visible inside a small screen, against a blurred poster-covered backdrop.

What the Lego x Olivia Rodrigo collaboration teaches designers

By Tom May Published 2 July 26

She's the first musician with multiple Lego sets.

Product Design

Best pens - someone drawing on big paper

The best pens for artists, tried and tested by pros

By Tom May Last updated 30 June 26

The best pens for drawing, writing, shading and more.

Art Supplies

We've tried out an array of pencil sharpeners, here are the best ones

By Tom May Last updated 30 June 26

Get the perfect point with the best pencil sharpener you can buy: electric or manual.

Art Supplies

An image showing the side-by-side official emblems for the Alpes 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, featuring stylized geometric gradients of blue, purple, and red that evoke a mountain peak and valley rays against a snowy alpine background.

No, you haven't accidentally downloaded a banking app – that really is the new Winter Olympics 2030 logo

By Tom May Published 29 June 26

Its glowing geometry feels closer to finance than fresh powder.

Logos & Icons

A promotional poster styled after a storybook features Sirfetch'd carrying Pichu on his massive leek lance across a rocky mountain ledge, with the text "Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu" displayed against a scenic valley background.

Hooray! Pokémon is fighting back against AI slop and backing the handmade approach

By Tom May Published 28 June 26

This Aardman collab sends a clear message.

Animation

A blurred, dynamic close-up background features a sewing machine needle in motion, with the bold white text "HIUT ABERTEIFI" superimposed in the center.

I'm crushing on this sans-serif logo from Pentagram so hard, there might be something wrong with me

By Tom May Published 24 June 26

I just can't stop thinking about it.

Logos & Icons

AI laptops are the future and these are the 7 best options today

By Tom May Published 23 June 26

Save big on Copilot+ PCs and the latest MacBook Air.

Laptops

A woman with dark hair tied back, wearing a pink vest over a white shirt, reaches up to touch a large, expressive sketch of a face on a canvas.

The National Portrait Gallery is hosting AI portraits: how should artists respond?

By Tom May Published 23 June 26

Es Devlin is heading up a startling project.

Woman stands in an installation with many colours and patterns

Right now, the creative world needs M.C. Escher more than ever – and this new show proves it

By Tom May Published 19 June 26

In an age of algorithmic sameness and AI-generated everything, a new exhibition reminds us what human imagination actually looks like.

Art

A screenshot of Adobe Firefly's image generation interface showing the completed 3D-animated character Carla, a brown-haired girl in a pink dress, generated from a detailed text prompt using Firefly Image 5.

Adobe solves one of AI's most maddening problems amongst a ton of other announcements

By Tom May Published 18 June 26

The software giant just make a ton of new announcements.

The irritating words and phrases I wish I could mute on Designer LinkedIn

By Tom May Published 17 June 26

They're quietly driving me up the wall.

Design

A diamond-shaped yellow sign features a black silhouette of a kangaroo with the text "NO KANGAROOS IN AUSTRIA" written above and below it.

The best branding happens when we embrace our collective stupidity

By Tom May Published 17 June 26

Should we correct misconceptions, or lean into them instead?

Branding

How the UK's social media ban could transform graphic design hiring

By Tom May Published 16 June 26

An under-16s ban could reshape who gets hired by agencies.

Social Media

Three of our favourite laptops for programming.

The best laptops for programming: Perfect devices for coding on the go

By Tom May Last updated 16 June 26

These are the top-rated laptops for developers and coders.

Laptops

The best AI laptops: Future-proof your creative work with an onboard NPU

By Tom May Last updated 15 June 26

They all offer power, display quality and portability.

Laptops

How to get Apple's student discount: $100 off most products!

By Tom May Last updated 12 June 26

Save hundreds with these generous discounts.

Tech

The best easels for painting

By Ian Dean Last updated 11 June 26

Our experts pick the best easels for painting available today.

Art Supplies

In the age of social media, do designers still need a website in 2026?

By Tom May Published 7 June 26

We asked five industry experts for their verdict.

Creative Careers

Six common font pairing mistakes and how to avoid them

By Tom May Published 6 June 26

Veteran designers explain where you might be going wrong.

Fonts & Typography

Three of our favourite iPad alternatives.

The best iPad alternatives – the Apple tablet isn't the best for everything!

By Ian Dean Last updated 28 May 26

Alternatives from Microsoft, Samsung, ASUS, Xiaomi and more.

Phones & Tablets

The ASUS Zenbook Duo standing vertically like an open book, displaying a continuous ocean sunset wallpaper split across two portrait screens, with the detached wireless keyboard resting in front.

I already loved this unusual dual-screen laptop, and now its AI upgrades have made it faster and more efficient

By Tom May Published 27 May 26

A big boost to creative workflows.

Laptops

A young James Bond character in a floral shirt stands beside a vivid blue Jaguar EV in a dimly lit warehouse setting surrounded by classical statues, in a screenshot from the video game 007 First Light.

007 First Light has a secret Jaguar Type 00 – is the rebrand redeemed?

By Tom May Published 26 May 26

As IO Interactive prepares to launch its long-awaited Bond origin story, Jaguar's product placement could be an important moment for its shaky reputation.

Branding